Supposed “iPhone nano” case goes on sale

Who cares if we don't know whether an "iPhone nano" even exists yet? A Chinese …

You don't own an iPhone nano yet, and it is still possible that such a device doesn't even exist—but at least you can buy a case for it.

XSKN is the Chinese accessory manufacturer largely responsible for rekindling rumors of a forthcoming iPhone nano simply by mentioning one on its site two days ago. Now the company has gone so far as to post an image of the case holding what can only be described as an iPhone nano, and it is even taking orders. XSKN's iPhone nano case costs between $24.95 and $26.95, depending on your choice of 17 different two-tone colors.

It is worth noting (again) that XSKN is the same company that posted cases for the iPhone 3G and iPod nano 4G before Apple announced them to the world. But as we explored before, there is a healthy dose of skepticism, or at best, "big ifs," when it comes to the existence of an iPhone nano. Apple spent a lot of time over the last year or so touting its unique advantage of a powerful software platform that excels largely in part because it doesn't have to be tailed for a myriad of devices and screen sizes. An iPhone nano could upset this advantage and introduce new headaches for third-party iPhone developers, as they would potentially need to spend time and money to augment their applications. The iTunes Store would also need to add an extra layer of "you can't download this app because it wasn't designed for your device" complexity.

Still, the rampant attention that rumors of a $99 Walmart iPhone received, not to mention the company's penchant for upending the apple cart at a whim (especially its own), bolster the argument for some kind of smaller, slightly less capable iPhone at a lower price point. Apple's next best opportunity to introduce such a device is rapidly approaching, though, so we'll all soon find out whether we have a third option to recommend to friends and family who want to get in on the App Store party.